


Sleeping Beauty

by Azzy_Darling



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst, M/M, alternative universe, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-16
Updated: 2012-04-16
Packaged: 2017-11-03 18:36:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/384558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azzy_Darling/pseuds/Azzy_Darling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The end of the story is a little different than Shepard had imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeping Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> Little story written in an hours time for Owl who tossed the idea to me on Shenkobutts. It's real short and I'm not too happy about the end, but it is what it is. =)

“I’m sorry John.” Kaidan whispers, yet it sounded like bombs going off in his head. No matter how hard he pinched the bridge of his nose, or forced his eyes shut, the pain didn’t lessen.

“It’s okay.” Shepard said softly as he gently guided Kaidan to their bed. Leaving Kaidan on the foot of the bed, he shut off all lights in the whole room, leaving them in darkness. He came back to the bed and sat down next to Kaidan who sat where he had left him, hunched over in pain. “Is it really bad?” He whispered worried, rubbing Kaidan’s shoulder lovingly.

Kaidan wanted to answer but nothing but a weak grunt came out. He felt like his head would explode.

“Come on lay down.” Shepard whispered, kissing Kaidan’s shoulder. Scooting over on the bed he pulled the sheet, and carefully guided Kaidan to lay down. Tucking the sheet around his lover, he couldn’t help but to feel helpless. He hated seeing Kaidan like this, crippled by migraines. But he knew that there was nothing he could do besides making it as comfortable for Kaidan as possible. “Sleep tight.” He said softly, kissing Kaidan’s forehead. He had to clean up after dinner, the dinner they had never gotten around to eat because Kaidan had fallen ill. He knew it was ridicolous but he felt a little disappointed that their romantic night, was ruined by something like this. And then he felt angry at himself for even thinking that, because it was not like Kaidan could help it. He hadn’t ruined it on purpose, Shepard knew that Kaidan had looked forward to spending an entire evening together, no phone, no guests. No nothing, just them and whatever they felt like doing. Knowing them odds are they would have fallen asleep infront of the television anyway, too exhausted to do anything more.

“Don’t.” Kaidan managed to breathe, “-go.”

Shepard turned around in his seat and looked over at Kaidan in the dark, “You want me to stay? I thought you wanted peace and sleep.”

“Stay.” Kaidan whispered though clenched teeth.

“At least let me get you some painkillers.” Shepard got off the bed and went for the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. It wouldn’t take all the pain, but it would dull it a little, maybe enough so Kaidan could fall asleep and it would be gone in the morning. He crawled back in the bed with a syringe in his hand. “Hang on, it’ll be better in a moment.” He said, expertly administering the painkiller to Kaidan.

Waiting in the dark, Shepard just focused on listening to Kaidan breathe, and when his breath stopped coming in pained, panicky huffs, and then he scooted closer, affectionatly brushing some hair from Kaidan’s forehead. “Better?” He whispered.

“Yeah.” Kaidan said, it was a lie really, but not. He feeling of glass shards in his brain had stopped. But now it just throbbed. “I’m sorry I ruined dinner.” He turned his head and looked at Shepard in the dark.

“It was probably terrible anyway. Knowing me, you saved us both from food poisoning” Shepard said with a little grin. “and the date ended in the bed a little faster than I had thought, who am I to complain?” He ran his thumb lovingly over Kaidan’s cheek and lips. “It’s fine.” Shepard added in a dead serious tone.

“It’s not.” Kaidan argued weakly, “You spent all day preparing for this, and we planned for a night off just for us, for weeks.”

“Stop it Kaidan.” Shepard whispered, moving a little closer so he could kiss his lover. “I said it’s fine.” He kissed the tip of Kaidan’s nose, “There’s always tomorrow morning.”

“Are we talking about breakfast or sex?” Kaidan asked with a forced little grin.

“Both.” Shepard said.

Kaidan closed his eyes and rolled over to his back, only to have Shepard follow, cudding up against him on top of the covers. Kaidan knew that if he let him leave the bedroom, he would go and bury himself in work like he always did when he was worried. He would never go to bed, but hover over him like a hawk till morning came. So he let him lay there, hoping that Shepard would get a little rest too. “Tell me a story.” Kaidan whispered.

“A story?” Shepard licked his lips, lacing his fingers with Kaidan’s on the other side of Kaidan’s torso. “I can tell you about when I first met you. Have I ever told you that?”

“I don’t think you have.” Kaidan said softly, which was a blatant lie, he knew that story in all it’s details, but he just loved hearing it.

“Okay, then you close your eyes, and I’ll tell you a goodnight story for adults.” Shepard grinned even if he was semi serious. Kaidan needed to sleep off that damn headache. “I had just gotten a promotion and was super nervous coming aboard the Normandy. I knew it was state of the art, and the crew was handpicked, including me. And there you were. Smiling that little awkward smile that I love so much.” He kissed Kaidan’s shoulder, seeing Kaidan smile in the dark. “You were on your way to the cockpit with Joker, I remember that clearly, you just turned for a second and smiled. And I knew I would make an honourable man of you some day.”

Kaidan chuckled, “Liar.”

“Yeah okay,” Shepard chuckled too. “I knew I was falling in love, and falling hard when you came to comfort me at the shuttle bay. I regretted not kissing you there, so many times it’s not even fair. I wish I could go back in time just to do that.”

“And what? fight Saren, Soverign, the Collectors, and the Reapers for that?” Kaidan smiled again, closing his eyes as his headache came back. “I’m flattered.”

“You should be.” Shepard whispered, squeezing Kaidan’s hand in his. “And I knew I loved you when you ripped me a new asshole on Horizon.”

“John..”

“It’s true.” Shepard argued softly.

Both lay in silence in the dark for a while, John closing his eyes giving in to his body telling him to sleep.

“What’s the end of the story?” Kaidan whispered, feeling his migraine throb just behind his eyes.

“That I got to love you forever.” Shepard whispered back, “It was worth it, just to know that I will wake next to you every morning. To see that little smile just for me, every time I remember something that is important to you. Just knowing you are mine and we aren’t going anywhere, we got the rest of our time to catch up on all that we had to renounce during bad times.” Shepard smiled and snuggled up close. “That’s what I want, what do you want?” He asked, listening to Kaidan’s amused snort.

“That is what I want too.” Kaidan finally said.

“Do you want more painkiller?” Shepard mumbled tired. “You seem tense.”

“No. I just need sleep.” Kaidan said turning his head a little, his cheek resting against the crown of Shepard’s head. “I love you.”

“Promises, promises.” Shepard grinned, and then a second after added, “I love you too. Now go to sleep.”

When Shepard woke the next morning, the first thing he would notice was that Kaidan was ice cold, as Shepard rolled him over on his back, Kaidan’s head lulled slack. Frantically he searched for a pulse, a breath, anything, but found none. He screamed and cursed, tossed what he could reach into the far wall. He aimlessly got off the bed to make the call to the only person he could think of that would think instead of him. Because he couldn’t think anymore, he didn’t want to think. Shepard hung up the phone and went back to the bed and sat down, gently tucking the blanket around Kaidan like he had last night. “Want me to tell you a story?” He asked, caressing the cold cheek of his lover. “I had just gotten a promotion and was super nervous coming aboard the Normandy. I knew it was state of the art, and the crew was handpicked, including me. And there you were. Smiling that little awkward smile that I love so much…”

-End


End file.
